Monday, August 31, 2009

#21 - A Mini for Darius

Darius requested a mini, something that will fit in his locker at school. He wanted a drop through deck 8" wide, 30.5" long, symetrical, and with a little kick on the nose and tail. He also wanted to be able to run 72mm wheels on Paris 150s. I did everything I could to accommodate his requirements and still have some decent deck strength.

I didn't feel comfortable with how little material would remain around the trucks to accommodate the 72mms on 180s but I got him as close as I could. 70s are really tight and 66s are perfect.

Nice little kicks.

Mild concave.

It's a good looking deck and Darius is really happy with it, and that's what matters most.

Friday, August 28, 2009

#20 - The Long Distance Pumper

I built the LDP deck for myself as an experiment in localizing flex. By using two different hardwoods for the stringer I was hoping to make the deck more reactive in the back as to have less of an effect on the front truck.

The shape was inspired by another builder(with permission) and modified some for this build, I really like the modern look of it and the shape offers a lot of real estate for my front foot.

It's quite the comfortable deck and pumps nicely. There are some small things I'd change in a future deck, but for now I'm pretty happy with it.

#19 - Jordan's Topmount Speedboard

This deck was built secially for Jordan to take to Maryhill for the Festival of Speed. It's built with 2 plies of bamboo veneer and a 1/4" maple stringer. The whole thing is wrapped up in carbon fiber to form what is by far the stiffest deck I've built to date.


The shape was designed by Jordan to meet his specific needs, a narrow waist for foot braking, a tapered nose to help hook his foot on the rail, and a narrow overall width for his smaller feet.


39" long, 9" wide, and an adjustable wheelbase of 30" and 30.5"

Thursday, August 13, 2009

#18 - The Partial Stringer Concept

The concept for this deck started right about the time I was starting to talk with Pete about his build. My thinking was that the stringer is most important at either end of the deck but in the body the deck is already quite strong due to it's width and concave. I really wanted more flex than #3 was giving me but still be totally confident that the deck could handle a beating from my rotund frame.

The construction is three layers of bamboo with the middle layer running bias. All of the bamboo I used was either scrap or starting to split and something I didn't want to risk having fall apart during the construction of a deck for someone else(this is only a risk run during initial pressing, nothing fails in pressing and I'm pretty confident from there on out). Knowing that just three layers was not enough for the body at my weight and not wanting to go to four I added a layer of 5.7oz twill carbon fiber to the top and bottom and then the flame cut split walnut stringer.

The deck is not nearly as stiff as #3 but still plenty stiff under my weight with just the right amount of snap. The bias layer in the middle helped to flatten out the concave a little making it a little less freeride friendly but infinitely better for mongo long pushing. The deck rebounds very quickly pushing back into the rider making pumping more effortless. This is not a pumping deck by any means but I can hold speed by pumping with this deck better than any of my others.

For riders of my weight this deck is downright ideal for pushing and it's not so bad for mild downhill as well as freeride.

#17 - Pete's Double Drop

Probably my prettiest deck yet, Pete's double drop consists of three layers of bamboo and a walnut stringer. The deck is something of a prototype, Pete asked if I could do a double with a stringer. I'd already been toying with the idea and it seemed feasible. My friend Shannon tested it out yesterday and feels that it's got the best ride of any of my decks he's ridden to date. I'm a little concerned about the depth of the flex and Pete knows that if it's too deep for him he can send it back to me for reinforcement at no additional charge.

A detail shot of the marquetry. The hardest thing about this deck is dropping it in the mail, I'm just so damn pleased with how it came out.

*NOTE* - Shots of the top are held back for now because Pete wants to be surprised by the grip, I'll update the site after he receives it.

Friday, August 7, 2009

#16 - A Dancer of a Different Shape

Something a little different. Nice diamond tail shape and clear grip.

I really like getting my 42s in there.

A fabric that I knew I had to use the moment I saw it, looks amazing up close.

Specs are identical to #15

#15 - Michael's Dancer

Michael wanted a much like my first with a little more length. Nice looking build and delivered ungripped.

Nice looking snakeskin fabric on the bottom.

Specs: 55" long, 9" wide, and a 40" wheelbase.